At least 48 people were killed when an illegally operated gold mine collapsed in western Mali on Saturday, local authorities and sources confirmed.

Mali, one of Africa’s top gold producers, frequently experiences deadly accidents at mining sites, where unregulated operations contribute to frequent landslides and cave-ins. Authorities have struggled to control the illicit extraction of the precious metal, despite the dangers.

"The toll as of 6:00 p.m. today stands at 48 dead following the collapse," a police source reported. "Some victims fell into the water, including a woman carrying her baby on her back."

A local official confirmed the tragedy, while the Kenieba gold miners' association also reported the same death toll. Rescue operations were still underway, according to the head of a local environmental organization.

Sources told AFP that the accident occurred at an abandoned site formerly operated by a Chinese company.

This incident follows a series of similar tragedies in Mali’s mining sector. In January, a landslide at a gold mine in the south killed at least 10 people, with many more reported missing, most of them women. Just over a year ago, another tunnel collapse in the same region claimed more than 70 lives.

Unregulated mining remains a significant challenge in Mali, where thousands risk their lives daily in the search for gold, often with little to no safety measures in place.